![]() ![]() Tell confessed that if his first arrow had missed and struck his son, he would have used the second one to shoot the tyrannical Gessler.įull of rage, Gessler arrested Tell and ordered he be locked away forever in a tower in Gessler's castle in Küssnacht. Gessler appeared in awe of Tell's skills until he noticed the second crossbow bolt hidden under Tell's clothing and demanded an explanation. Once the boy had been made to stand in place, Tell took aim with his crossbow and expertly hit the apple without harming a hair on his son's head. The test was this: to shoot an apple off his son's head. Gessler was not prepared to excuse Tell's defiance but made a show of generosity by offering him a way out of certain death – by means of an apple. ![]() Federal Pact of 1291 The apple and crossbow The following day, Gessler summoned Tell. On 18 November 1307, Tell ignored the prominently displayed hat as he walked through the village square, knowing that he was risking his life if his action was reported – which it swiftly was. This was the divisive setting against which the legend of William Tell began. Anyone walking past was obliged to bow before it as a sign of submission. One of them, Hermann Gessler, stuck a pole with his hat on it in the village square of Altdorf, Uri's capital. Threatened by this rebellion, the Habsburg bailiffs set out to persecute the local population. ![]()
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